A 35-year-old suspect has been arrested for contravention of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act (POCDATARA) and is expected to appear in the Lichtenburg Magistrates on Monday.
The suspect was arrested by the Crimes Against the State (CATS) team at his home in Johannesburg yesterday afternoon, after a lengthy investigation.
The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) and the Hawks received information about suspicious transactions allegedly linked to terror financing in May 2018.
A media statement by the Hawks says that upon investigation, they found that Cryptocurrency in the form of Bitcoin worth R11 500 was allegedly purchased, through Luno, a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP), via transfer of money from the suspect’s bank account to Luno’s custody account on November 30, 2017.
It says that on the same day, Bitcoin was reportedly transferred from the suspect’s Luno wallet to the wallet associated with an organisation that describes itself as an independent charity. Furthermore, it is alleged that this non-profit organisation is linked to the other two organisations.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the transfer was a response to an advisement appealing for financial support for the activities with weapons, financial aid and other projects assisting the participants in another country.
In October 2024, the police obtained a search warrant and conducted a search at the residence of the suspect in Sandton. Several evidential materials were seized for further investigation.
During the search, it was also found that two of the man’s licenced firearms were not locked away in a safe as prescribed by law and a relevant case docket was opened.
